Improvement in automatic boiler-feeders



'of the boiler.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

G. ADOLPH RIEDEL, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC BOILER-FEEDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,034, dated September19, 1865 antcdated July 26, 1865.

` To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, G. ADoLPH RIEDEL, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new andImproved Self Regulating Oscillating Water- Feeder for Steam-Boilerswithout a Pump or In jector, and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of'this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan or topview of the feeding apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ot' the same.Fig. 3 is a front view ofthe same. Fig.

uL is a top view of the pipe G detached. Fig. 5

is a side View of one of the arms U on a pivot and of the pipe G, butshown in the figure only in connection with one of the valves C or F.

Like letters in all the igures represent the same parts.

The nature ot' my invention consists in an automatic feeding apparatusfor steam-boilers constructed, arranged, and operating substantially asfollows:

A is a vertical pipe, which is secured by means of a flange or otherwisewith the top surface of' the boiler, its lower end terminating with thewater-line.' The upper end of the pipe is connected with the chest B,that is provided with the valve C.

D is a pipe similar] y arranged as the pipe A, but its lower endterminates near the bottom Its upper end is connected with the chest E,which is provided with a valve, F.

G is a partially-inclined quadrilateral pipe, whose ends 1 and 2communicate respectively with the pipes A and D by means of the saidchest B and E above described, so as to form a communication between thereceiver H and the water-line in the boiler by means of the verticalpipe I, which is connected with the said pipe G by means of the ttin gc, and also a communication with the water at the bottom of the boilerand the said receiver by means of the vertical pipe J, connected at itsupper end with the bottom of said receiver, and at its lower end withthe pipe G by means ofthe fitting b, the pipe G being permanently closedbetween the fittings c and b, so that the two ends of the pipe have nocommunication with each other. There is a chest, K, which hascommunication with the end l of the pipe Gr and the feed-pipe. Thelatter is not shown in the drawings. The chest K is provided with avalve, L, for opening and closing` the coinmunication between thereceiver H and the feed-pipe, the valveubeing actuated by the lever M inthe upward and downward motions of the receiver H, as will behereinafter described, the said lever being connected with the verticalpipe J beneath the receiver by means of friction-wheels N N, which turnon pins O O secured in the opposite sides of the pipe, the end of thelever being forked, so as to come on each side of the pipe, and havingslots c, which move freely on said frictionwheels.

The lever is connected to the stem d of the valve L by means of thestrap P, the said strap turning freely on the pin c at its lower end,and having a slot,f, in its upper end, through which the wrist-pin gpasses of the lever vM, there being a nut, 7L, on the outer end ofthepin to keep the strap in its place. There is a standard, Q, which has afulcrum-wheel, R, in the slot t' in its upper end,the said wheel turningfreely on the pin j. The lever is connected with the said fulcruin-wheelby means of the elongated opening 7c, so as to allow the lever to have abackward and forward play in the upward and downward motions ot' thevalve L to favor a vertical movement ofthe strap P.

For opening and closing the communica tion between the feed-pipe and thereceiver H, and between the latter and the boiler, so as to keep up aconstant supply of water to the boiler', the receiver has an oscillatingup-and-down motion, the ends l and 2 of the pipe G turning freelyin thestuffing-boxes S T, and being pro vided with arms U, which are connectedwith the valves G and F by meansot suitable openings in the latter foropening and closing the communication with the boiler.

The connection of an arm with one of the valves is shown in detail inFig. 4. V is a counter-weight'on the lever M.

The operation is as follows: The receiverH being in its lower position,as represented in Figs. l, 2, and 3, at which point it is full of water,the valve L has closed the communication between the feed-pipe and thereceiver, and the valves C and F being up, there is an opencommunication between the receiver and the water in the boiler until bythe generation of steam the surface of the waterin the boiler descendsbelow the water line. Then the steam in the boiler, acting` through thepipe A, presses upon the water in the receiver with the same force asupon the water in the boiler, which causes the water in the former toseek its level, and it consequently passes down the vertical pipe J andthrough the end 2 of the quadrilateral pipe G, and down the pipe D intothe bottom ot' the boiler, the valve F being open. This allows the steamto take the place of the water in the receiver H. The receiver, 'beingthus lightened by the difference between the weight of water and theweight of steam, is forced upward by the weighted lever Minto theposition indicated by red lines in Fig. 2.

4In the upward movement of the receiver the arms U U ci' the pipe Gclose the valves C and F, so as to cut off the communication with theboiler, and the lever M o pens the valve L, thereby opening thecommunication between the feed-pipe and the receiver. This allows thewater in thef'eedpipeto condense the steam in the receiver and to tllthe space thereby created. The receiver being thus increased inweightovercomes the force of the lever M and regains its formerposition, by which action a 'closing the communication between the feedpipe and boiler, combined and arranged with the valves C, F, and L,substantially upon the principle and in the manner 'above set forth.

2.' The lever M, constructed substantially as described, and combinedand arranged with the receiver H and valve L, as and for the pur posesabove set forth.

lIn testimony that the above is my invention I have hereuntofset my handand atiixed my seal this 20th day of July, 1865.

G. AnoLPH menen. [-L. s;

Witnesses Lewis Gonnnn, STEPHEN U s'rIcK.

